The scent of sidewalk chalk and baby formula lingers in my hair as I put away the puzzles one by one making sure all the pieces are found. A quick glance around my room and memories flow of late nights folding laundry, matching socks, and putting away toys. Back when I was a young mother of 6 children, the tasks seem overwhelming and at times, I wondered if I’d ever see the bottom of the dirty clothes basket or a floor with no scuff marks.
But now, the room is like a medal of honor to me. It is time I’ve spent playing. It is time I’ve spent laughing and tickling and singing. It is “Nonie” time and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
There is a race track made from over sized Lego blocks. My grandson and I created an obstacle course for him to drive his remote control car through, something I used to do with my boys. The doll house looks like my house, only the oven is in the bathroom, the people are lying on the floor, and the lawn mower is in the baby’s room. My two-year-old granddaughter likes the lawn mower. Her Popsie loves that! He calls her “tough girl.”
As I crawl around on the floor putting toys back in the right spot, I come across my 8 month old grandson’s pacifier. My husband laughs, “There it is!” Earlier that day we’d been frantically looking for it to soothe his teething pain.
Life has come full circle.
I loved being a mom. Still do. I loved teaching my children and playing with them and taking them places. I never saw it as insignificant but such a privilege. Earlier in their young lives, I had worked to put their dad through medical school and residency. Being at home with them when we first moved from Florida to Georgia enabled me to really know them and watch them grow. But it was also a time of insecurity because I didn’t know how it would all turn out. There was a sense of urgency in my heart that I had to do more. Most of my days were haunted with a realm of fear which I shoved under the rug. I couldn’t measure up. I was never good enough. If I had a time machine, I’d go back and give myself a big hug and tell that young mom, “It all works out! Don’t worry!”
Every moment we spend investing in someone: young children, a friend, a co-worker, spouse, a couple, an elderly neighbor, it is the work of God, and He will honor it. God has called us to love people right where they are. He has asked us to help one another. He’s asked us to share in each other’s lives. He wants us to distribute our talents and gifts for the benefit of His people.
One of my dearest friends Anne Roberts once told me, “When my kids are grown, I’m going to find the most difficult child at church and spend time with him.” As a mother of 7, she knew the weight of parenting and the blessing of experienced help.
Today, infuse your gifts into the life of someone else. There is never a moment that God cannot use to benefit His Kingdom.
